


Between Determination and Dust

by ArreisofAvalon



Category: Undertale
Genre: AU, Determination, Drugs, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Some Plot, Souls, UnderTrait, Undertale AU, lots of AUs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-20
Updated: 2016-11-24
Packaged: 2018-05-15 03:30:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5769580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArreisofAvalon/pseuds/ArreisofAvalon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sans does what he must to stop the genocidal human walking through the underground. He's seen what happens if he just fights them, so he goes one step further. He does the unthinkable. Whenever a small slip up ruins his plans, however, both he and Chara must find a way back to the home they both knew; for better or for worse, these two enemies make the long trek onward.</p><p>This is their journey, their return, and their endings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: Entries

Entry 22

i've resumed some of my work. it's been hard, but the melted monsters seem to have forgiven me. they help me sometimes, but i usually just feed them and keep them in my true lab. they're pretty calm.

most of the time…

 

Entry 23

people expect so much from me now, but at the same time, they seem to be starting to forget me. is this what it feels like, being forced to see how the world stays the same without you? 

i’ve been researching more souls and what happened in the past. it's interesting, but it's also making me feel even worse…

 

Entry 24

I was wrong about the souls. 

I was wondering why they were different colors, and I think I've worked it out. The notes from the previous royal scientist really helped. It seems the souls each have a different power that can be extracted, not just DT. DT seems to be something that is in each soul, but the souls that have the specific power of DT seem the most rare.

I need to research this more.

 

Entry 25

i’ve worked more on Mettaton’s body. it’s one of the only things i’ve done that i’m proud of. i made the core a pink heart, one to protect his soul if he choses to remain incorporeal. i liked the color. i just hope he doesn't leave me alone once i finish it…

 

Entry 26

I’ve figured each soul out. Integrity. Justice. Perseverance. Kindness. Patience. Bravery. And, of course, Determination. These things make up all the different souls. They also have some interesting effects, theoretically. I'm not going to test them on anything after last time, but I think it is interesting. 

I think I’ll call these powers and effects Traits.

 

Entry 27

i finished Mettaton’s body, but the power consumption is inefficient. he stays around here sometimes, but he usually is on the big screen now.

he doesn't need someone like me holding him back anymore.

 

Entry 28

i met someone new today at the garbage dump. she was… really nice. i hope i get to see her there again.

 

Entry 29

I think this will be my last entry for awhile. Asgore has banned access to the souls… I think he doesn't like them. When he sees them, he looks really tired. He doesn't pressure me to work at all, and I’ve stopped opening any and all letters. They’ve just stopped coming now.

I guess I’ll just take care of the Amalgams for the time being. Oh, and Undyne’s asked for my help guarding for humans. We’ve set up cameras along the entire path to my lab. I’ve also been helping the two skeleton sentries in Snowdin with puzzles. Sans and Papyrus were their names. Sans really likes helping me with some things too… He knows about the Amalgams, too, and the determination.. I’m not sure how, but he doesn’t make a big deal about it.

It’s weird. They all seem to like me. Maybe if I keep this lie up… then I can keep the friends I have now.

I’ll still keep my eyes on the DT and souls, but for now… I think I’m going to enjoy helping Undyne and her friends.

 

 

.

[*The following entry is too glitched to read. Access anyways?]

.

[*YES]

 

Àc̗̬͝c̗̝̟e͙̘̲s̶̪s̱̦͇̯͡ͅi̱ng͖̯͖̩͔̘̞. . .

Ş̷t͜a̢t̵̕e ̧̛͠3̕҉ ͞͡l̢o҉a͝di̵̢n̢͝͏g͘ ̢͠fì͡l͝e̢ş̴͟.͏̡̢ ̡҉.͟ ͡.̶̀

 

A̶cti͢o͘n̷s co͡mp̛l͠e̵͟t̕ed͟͜

 

E͏̨͟͜͝Ǹ̢̧́T̷̨R̴̸̛͝Y̸̶͠ ̷̸̶?̷̴̧͟͝?҉͏?̀҉

m͏҉y̴̕͟͢ ̨̡͠n̶̶̛a̡̢͢͞m̸̀͡͠ȩ̶̡̕͞ ̷̢̛i̵ş̀͜ ̀̕͜͜s͏̧͡a̵̢̨ǹ̵̸͡ş́̀͞.̨͞ ͏̢  
̴̵̡͟į̵̸̀͘'̷̨͜m̶̷̶̢̕ ͏̴ś̡̛t̸́e͏̧a̴̷l̷̵̷i҉̢̀ņ̕͠ǵ̛҉̵͞ ̴̵̢͟͡á̴́͡n̷̛͟y̛̕͟͝ ̴̧̀a̷̡͠͏n̷̛͘d͏̕ ͏̀a҉̵l͏̵̕͘l̴͢͠͠ ̸̶̢ớ̢̧͡f̶̨́͟͠ ̸̛͟t̴́͟͠h͏̴͟è̸͜҉̵ ̵̧̛͠d̡̕҉́͞e͘͘͜͢͡ţ̛̀ę̷̴̵r̷̀̕ḿ̸̛̕í̢̀͢͞n̵̢a̴͡t̵̢͠i̸̵̢̕͢o̧̕͟͝͝n̴͘͘͠ ҉͟͢͝f̸̶r͟҉͟͞o͞͏m̸̶̵̡̕ ̨̕t̸̡h̶̷̨͢͠ȩ̸҉ ̸͜t̀͢͠r̵ú̷́͟e͢͠͡ ̵̶̧l̴̸̛͘͢a̕̕b̧̢́͞ ̨̛͞͠à̡̀͡ǹ̷̴͘͞d͡͞ ̶͏͏̵i͏͡͏̢͠n̴̕͡j̴͜e̡͘͏̶͞c̷͘͟͝t͞i͏͟ń̸g̶҉ ̴̷̛͢͝í̡̨͢t͘҉̛̕ ̴̀͜i̛͏̸͟n̸͟t̀͠҉ǫ́̕͠ ͏́m̵̶̡ý̧͠s̀͘͜e̴̡͘͘l͜͟͜f̧̧̧̀̀ ̨̕͞͞t́͞͡ò̧́͘ ̢ş̶̧͠t̀͏́͏o̴̧͡p͘͠ ̶͞͏a̵͏̶ ̷h̢͡҉̴o̶̡͟ḿ̸͢i̸ć̴͞i̡̕͢͜͞d̨̢̕a̸̢l̸͜͞ ̨̛͝͡͞m̴͢҉͠͏a̛͜͡n͟i͏̕a̧͠c̷̢ ̸̀̀f͟͏r̷͢͠҉͝ò̷̀͞m͝ ̷͘͜͠҉d̵̸̶͝ę̵͞s͞͝t͜͠r̸̨̢o̷̡ý͜͝i̧͟͠͞ń̶̕͡g͏̷̢͡ ̡̀͟͡t͏́h͢͡ȩ̷̢ ̷͜w̶͟͟͢͠o̧r̷͡l͏͠d̛́͜͠.̧͘͘͘͝ ҉́m̕͠͡͡y͢ ̸̶̀͟f̧̛͘͝͠r̵͝͡i̶̧̛e̶n͝͏͘͜͠d͏̀͞͝s̶̀́ ҉̧͠a͏̷̡͡r̸̀̕͘͞é̷̛ ̵̶̢͘a͏͟l̸̨͢l̡̧͠ ̵̕͝͠g͘͘͝͡ǫ̡̨͝n̢͠è̸̕͞.̸ ͏̶͠m̧͘̕y̸̛ ̸̧̀l̷̢͘͟͜o̸̢͜v̸̵͢͡҉e҉̵̡́͘d͏̵̨͏ ̀̕ò͜͡n̶͞e̶̷̛̛s̸͏̕͡ ̡̧̀͘͝a̵̸̶r͏̧̨̛e͜͟ ҉̵̨à̡̕͠l̀͜l͟͞ ̧̛̀͝d̸̶͟e̶̴̡a̛҉̸͜͢d҉̵.̸́́͞ ̨͏̨̡ì̢͠͞ ̢̨̛́͟h̨͘͠͝͞ą̵҉̶҉v̸̧͘͢e͟͟͢͡ ̴͘͞n҉͘͟o̧͘t̴̵̴͜h̡̢͢į̷̵n̨͏҉͏̴g͏̸̡ ̴̶l̶͢è̛͘͞f̧͢t̴̡͘͠ ̷̨̧ţ̴o͟ ́͘͡l̡̕͝o̸̧s̴͢e̴҉̀.̕  
̴́͟͜w̡̧̧í͠͝t̶͝҉h̷́͟͝ ̵̵̡͝͞t̸͟͜h̷́i̶s̶̨ ҉̡̕p̀o̷̕͠w̵҉e̶̕͢r͜͜͟͟,̨̛͟͡ ̧̡̛i̡͜͢͡'̛́͘҉m̀͟͢͠ ҉̧̡g̸̸͜͢҉o̵̧͞͞í̢̨͠n̴̡͟͜͟g̶̷̀̕ ̵̧͡t͠҉o̢̨͡ ̢̨̛͜şt̵̸̡̛̛o̵̢͝ṕ̸͜͠ ̵͘t̢̕͢h̢̀͝e̡͘͡͞͞m̨̕͟.̨̕ ́҉̢į̴͜͡'̶̨̛͞m̶̕͢͠ ̴̨͘͟͠g͏̢̧͠o̶͏̧͘͜i̧͘͟͡ǹ̵̢͘͟g͢͠ ̵͜t̶͜͡͠͠ǫ̵ ̸͟d̛̀͟͞͠ò͞ ̸͢w̢̕͘͝h̨͡a̡͡t̷̢͡ ̵̵̕i͠ ̷̨́̕h̢͏̀a̸t̀͞ę̨҉,͡҉̸ ̛́͘͢͠b̵̢̨u̧̕t͏̵͘ ̷͏i̡̛͘͟t̵̨̡͘͝ ́͡w͏̡͜í̶҉̸l̷̵͠͝l̵̴̡͘ ̷̢̕̕͢s̀͏̶t͏̸ò̀͠p͏͘ ̷̧t̸̨̨h̷̢̢́e͏̸̨̡͘m͜͏̕͢.͟͞ ̵̶̧̛b̨͏̧̨͡ú́̕͞ţ̸͏̷͡.̴̧̛.̶̡.͠ ̷̀͟͞͡i͜ ̴́͡d̵̴͝͝͞o̷̷ǹ̡͘͝͠'̕҉̡t́͢ ̶͘͡͞͠k͏̴̨͞n̸̡o̴̶̡̡w̡̡̕͢ ́͟͢͏͞w̶̶̡h̛̕͠a̸͝t̨̀͞'̵̛͠s̡͘҉͢͢ ̴̷̢̢c̕͜͟͡o҉̴̸̨̀m̨̧̀͟i̵̧̡̨͠n̴̨̧͏g̵̨̛͢,҉̸̨ ̨̨͟͠͏a̡̕͟͜ǹ̴͡d̨̛ ̵̛̀͜͢t͘͝h̸̸a͝҉̡̀t͏̵̕̕͜'͏̴̶̛́ş̶̶͟ ̶̨͞n҉͡҉͘e͢͞ẃ͞͡.́̕͜ ̴̷̕͢i̵͞͡f̶̸̷̡.̧́̀͢͝.̸̴͘͟.̢͘͠͞͠ ̛̀͘͠͠i̸̶̢͟f̵̶̢͢ ̢̀͠ì̢͞t̴̨̢͘ ̷̵͘p̛͞ą̸̢͢͞n҉̷̸̧s̀҉ ̸͟͞o̧͏u̷̕͜͜͞t̵͘͜͢͜ ̸҉͘t̨͝͏̵h͏͝a͝͠ţ̴̡͢͟ ̨͢͞i̴͘͟͟ ͟͡s̵̢̀͝a̢҉c̨͜r͡͏i҉́f̸͏ì̛͝͝c͟͏̨̛e̵ ̵͠͝m̸͠y҉͞͠s̷͠e̴l͘͢͠f͟͠ ̢̨͟f̶̷̵͜o͏͏̕r͘͟͝ ̡̛͢͢ȩ̸̴v̷͝ę̸̷͘r̕͜y̴̷͜͢ǫ̨͠ǹ̸̡e̸̶̢͏̵ ͢͟e̢̕ļ̨͢s̢̧͝͝e̶̢͟͡.̧͟҉.̸͠͞.́́́̕ ̧̀͡i͝͝'̡͠͡m̸̡͢͝ ̸̶̧̛͡ẃ̵͘͏ŕ̶̡̨̧ì̡̀҉t͏̶͝į̶̡͘̕ǹ̶̀͝g̸̡̕͏͘ ҉̸̕͜͠t̛̛h̵̡í̵̶̕ś̷̢̢ ̴̢s͢o͏ ̀͝i̶̢̢̛͠ ̵̕̕͠w͝o̵̴͘͞n͢'̵̛̕͢t́͟͝͏ ͝͝b̸̢e̷̴̶̵͞ ̡͟͜͟͞f̛̀͞͠o̧͜͟r̷̵͜ǵ͘͡ǫ̕t̷̡͏t̵́e̡̧n̨͏̵̛.̵̨̛͢ ̶̴̧͟͏i̧̕͟ ̶̷j̷ừ͝s̴̢̢̛҉t́͠ ́҉̷͘d̶̨́̀ó҉̵̛͡n̛͢͠'̷̨̀̕͡t̴̶̛̛ ̶͝w̧̢̢҉ą̴̶͘n҉̕͏̛͢t̕͞͡͡ ̀͢͏t̶̨͡o̴̴̢͜ ҉̴̧b͢͝҉̡̀ȩ̸̷̴͢ ̀͝ļ̴̕͟͢é̷̕̕f̀҉̕͜t̷͝҉̴͜ ̧̛͘͡b͏͟e̢̕͘h̸̨́͠͏i̷̧n͟d̶́̕͝ ͘t̴̀͟o̴̧͘͢͜ ̵̧͟͝f̸̨͢͞a̧͘͟d̨͘͘͡ę̴̛͝͏ ̵̵͠a͏ẁ̧͠͠a̵̴̵͝y̷̡̛͠͞.̨͜͞  
̢̕p̸̛͜ą͡p͡͞ỳ̨͘͜͠ŕ͏u҉̢̨͜͠s̶̀̕͝,̷̡͡ ̴̷̸̧i͏́'́̀m̶ ̷s̕͜͝o̷̢̡ŗ̶ŕ̀ỳ̸̧̨.̶ ̡̧̧̀ì͘ ̴̧c̛͏ò͝ừ̀͜͡ļ̧͟ḑ̸̴ń̕͟'̶̧͏̧t͡͏͜͢ ̶̧̡́s̷̕͟ą̸͟͞v̧̡͟è̶͠ ̨̀y̴̧҉̷͘o̸u̸͢͠.̷̸͢  
̶͜ĺ̵͢á̢̡͘d̨̀͟y͏̡͠.̨̨̀̕.͞͏̡͞.͝͠ ̛͠͞a̢͡t̡͡ ̴̸̢͘͟l͏͘é̶a̷̸̸̢͜s҉͢͞t̷́,̸̵̕͜ ̶̢̀n̨͏̷͢͏o̧͝ẁ̡,̶͜͠ ̢͝͝͞i̵̢̡'͘͏̷l҉̴̸͝l̸͏͜ ̶̡́͢͡ḱe̛͟è͘͞p̡͠҉͜ ̴͠m̨̛͞͞͝y̵̵̨̡ ̵̴̕͜p̛̕͏̢͠r̢̨̛̀͝ǫ̴̢̀͞ḿ̨͟i҉͜ś̵̷̛͞é̢́͢.̴̢̛  
̷̛̀͢͝  
͏͞


	2. Megalomaniac

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *Megalomaniac - Noun. A person who is obsessed with their own power.

The steps echoed hollowly through the hallway. They bounced around the walls, eventually stopping a few moments after the source did. The child who stopped smirked. Their hand gripped the knife at their side tightly as they peered down the hall. As their eyes rested on the skeleton standing there, Chara could only giggle. 

Sans smiled softly in response to the laughter, watching them from his place against the column where he rested. “Heya.” His voice was soft, but the hall made it so Chara could hear every word. “You’ve been busy.”

The words echoed around the golden pathway, rumbling around the domed ceiling. “So. I’ve got a question for ya.” He lifted himself away from the column, straightening up and glancing out the window. He could hear birds chirping outside, through the barrier. They sounded close. So… so very close. He could almost imagine what it would’ve been like. Or, maybe, what it had been like? “Do you think even the worst person can change?” he asked, basking in the light streaming from the windows. “That everyone can be a good person, if they just try?”

Chara didn’t respond. They just giggled. Apparently, this was pretty funny to them.

Sans glanced at them, huffing. So cocky. So ‘determined’. He shut his eyes and swallowed his ever growing rage. “Lemmie ask you a better question, then. Do you wanna have a bad time? Cause uh… if you take another step forward, you are _really_ not gonna like what happens next.”

Chara lifted their chin, grinning, taking a step forward pointedly.

“Heheh… Welp. You asked for it kid.”

Reaching out, Sans felt the power inside him shift. He shut his eyes tightly and tugged, ripping the soul out of the monster’s body. It shone bright red in the air before the both of them. “...” Slowly, he dropped his hand. Patiently, Chara waited to strike.

“...Heheh…” He shook his head, feeling his grin widen as he shuddered slightly. His body was already getting cold. Was it just from his magic? He had no idea. “Kid… It’s a beautiful day outside. Birds are singing… flowers are blooming… On days like these, kids like you should be burning in hell…”

 

“But.”

 

Chara’s eyes narrowed.

He looked up, opening his eyes, his blue pupil flashing a bright, vibrant crimson for a single moment. “I have a different hell in mind for you.”

For the first time since he had begun to speak, Chara looked… scared. Confused. He grinned. “Poor kid. I almost feel bad for you.” He reached up, shaking his head as he held his forehead. He appeared to be sweating already. “Shame it had to be this way.”

Chara braced themselves. They grasped their knife and raised it, ready to strike the instant they could. They were getting impatient. Sans merely grinned.

“I know your type, kid. You’re uh... pretty _determined_. You won’t stop till you kill me. Well, I got news for you kid. You can’t.”

“Tell that to my knife,” they said in their sickly sweet softness, that familiar cocky grin replacing the shakiness that Sans had just seen. They were tired of playing by the rules. Screw the consequences. Charging forward, they swung down.

 

Sans didn't hesitate. He lunged forward and lifted his hand up, letting the knife lodge itself deep into his palm without a second thought.

 

Chara watched, wide-eyed, and let out a stunned breath. Sans watched them, his eye flashing as his stats appeared from the damage. Chara could scarce believe their eyes as they studied those numbers. “W-Wha…”

Sans kicked them off, the knife still lodged in his hand. Chara fell to the floor, too surprised, shocked, to do anything but gape at the numbers shining above the skeleton’s head. They didn't make any sense. Sans wiped what looked like blood from his mouth, laughing darkly. Above him, the stats began to fade, but they were burned into Chara’s mind like the brand on a horse meant to be broken. They tried to believe it wasn’t true, but that rock they relied on didn’t lie. Those stats don't lie. It was there, before their very eyes.

 

0/0 HP.

 

“H-How?”

“Y’mean y’don’t get it yet, kid?” Sans ripped the knife out of his hand. What looked to be blood stained both the cut on his hand and the dusty knife. He tilted his head to the side, mimicking their cruel grin as he held the knife up, pointing it at their wavering soul. “How do you KILL what’s already DEAD?”

Chara took a startled step back, feeling a shiver of fear creep up their spine. Sans guffawed, tossing the knife aside. It fell with a sharp clatter against the tiles. Chara began to move towards it, but blue bones sprang up all around them. They froze, gasping. “Ah ah ah… Y’ain’t goin’ anywhere, kid. Not till you learn about the consequences of your actions.”

Chara gulped, watching the skeleton closely. Sans walked up close, the sweat on his skull shining brighter as he did. It looked… wrong. Chara couldn’t explain why. “I’m not about to fight back, Kid. I’m not about to murder you senselessly.” He reached through the bones without fear and put his now wounded hand under their chin, forcing them to look up into his now pupiless eyes. “I’m hardly so barbaric.”

Chara couldn’t move. They stood perfectly still, growling under their breath. Sans dropped his hand. “I’m not. fighting you. You’ve got a lot of LOVE there, kid - there’d be no point.” He turned. ‘Sides… I made a promise, a long time ago. I’ve got SOME shred of decency in me,” he said with a shrug.

“So why not let me go,” Chara snarled through clenched teeth. “Just get out of my way before I kill you. Just like I did with your worthless friends.”

“You already tried that, kiddo. Didn’t seem to work out too well, heheh…” Sans snapped his fingers, the blue bones surrounding Chara turning a bright and sinister red around the edges. Chara watched them closely, staying still. “You’re so ‘determined’ to see this through till the end. You don’t care about why you can’t kill me. Why I’m ‘impossible’. You just think you’ll find a way past me, like you did everyone else.”

“I will.”

“You’re wrong, kiddo. And you wanna know why?”

“Fine, comedian. I’ll play along - why?”

Sans chuckled, opening his jacket ever so slightly. Chara’s eyes widened. There, in his ribcage, shone a bright, red, pulsing heart. His soul. But… Monsters… Why was it red? “You’re wrong,” Sans said, “because I know I’m stronger than you.” 

 

“H-How is that possible?”

“You really are an idiot, aren't y’, Kid?” Sans chuckled, coughing a bit. Blood stained his mouth. Why was he bleeding so much? How was he even bleeding??

Unless that's not blood.

Chara’s eyes widened. “The sweating, the blood… You…”

“Now you’re catching on, aren'tcha?” Sans grinned, as always, but somehow it looked wrong on his face with the ‘blood’ dripping down his teeth. “She’s got loads of it, down in her lab. She used a lot, but… Alphys never ran out.”

“Y-You… You took Determination.” Chara was trembling. They scowled, brows furrowing as they shouted out, “but why!?”

“To stop you, you dirty brat.” Sans shook his head as he wiped the determination that was leaking through his teeth away, looking at the red liquid curiously. “One hell of a drug, eh? Heheh… Pretty soon… Well.” He shrugged. “You know what the Amalgams looked like, I’m sure. From a time when me and you used to be…” Sans never finished his thought.

Chara shook their head, feeling the fear in their soul. They hadn’t felt like THIS since Undyne, and even then, it hadn’t been this bad. They licked their lips, balling their fists. “S-So what?! S-So you’re basically killing yourself before I get to. You’re just doing m-my job for me! You’re just some stupid monster, a line of code in this world! I’m going to END YOU, just like I did with all the others!”

“You really think so, kid?” He laughed, wiping at the sweat on his forehead once more, what Chara now realized was his skull melting. “‘Cuz, kid, y’seem to be forgettin’… I took… a HELL of a lot of determination.” He gulped, panting ever so slightly; the drug was taking its toll. “I think you should ask yourself…”

“W H O . I S . I N . C O N T R O L?”

Chara laughed, their body shaking in fear. Is this how Asriel felt? Is this that soul numbing fear that made them feel so cold, that same fear sending chills up their spine? “H-Ha! T-That’s easy! I-I AM! I-I’ve always been in control!”

“Then try this on for size.” Chara froze, panic rising to their eyes. A light flashed under Sans’s outstretched hand. A golden button rested there. A single word shined brightly enough that Chara could read it clearly.

**Reset.**

“You… H-How…” Their voice was no more than a whisper.

“I have more than you do now, Kid. More than that flower, and more than you. And now… Now I’M in control. I’m taking this world back.”

“Y-YOU WOULDN’T! N-No, you never would bring them back to t-this…” Chara laughed out of desperation, grinning as they reached forward and grabbed the bones around them tightly. They began to take damage, slowly, but they paid it no heed. “I-I’d just kill them again! Y-You’ll have to watch me kill them again and again AND AGAIN AND AGAIN!” They laughed maniacally, grin only widening. “You’re just preventing the inevitable!”

Sans hesitated, his grin dropping ever so slightly. “... Heh. You’re right kid. I know you won't change, and that I’ll most likely see you here again.”

Chara felt a small bit of hope.

“But.”

Their eyes widened.

Sans grinned, his eye flashing blue and red. “I’m willing to risk it if it means you might do what’s right. That’s what Papyrus woulda wanted, right? To give you the chance to be a good person?” He shut his eyes. “‘Sides. Not like anybody else’ll remember it, anyways.”

He looked down at the button. Never thought he’d be doing this.

“See you on the flip side, kid.”

“N-NO, DON-”

 

Sans gasped, falling out of the bed as the alarm next to him went off. “GAH, Ffff-” He winced as he fell onto his back with a loud thud.

“SANS? ARE YOU ALRIGHT IN THERE?”

Sans took a deep breath, eyes wide. That was… He was…

“Y-yeah Paps! J-just surprised by my alarm!”

“ALRIGHT BROTHER,” Papyrus shouted from the kitchen. “COME DOWN, I’M MAKING SPAGHETTI PANCAKES!”

Sans felt his face split into a wide grin. 

He was home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, finally got a chapter out for this. Huge thanks to Mel, that Shamchat really helped me solidify my resolve to work on this. Guess you could say you made me pretty determined, eh? Also, I think I might've settled on a name for this AU, I'll be putting the finished name in the tags and in the notes for next chapter. Thanks for reading!


	3. Recognition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *Recognition - Noun. Identification of a thing or person from previous encounters or knowledge.

It started around noon.

 

“F-F-” Sans leaned against the tree, shivering. His entire body was _freezing_. “W-What the hell…” He took a deep breath. Normally, skeletons couldn’t feel the cold, but he felt absolutely _chilled to the bone_. Heh. 

It wasn’t very funny.

He gulped, shivering, his bones rattling slightly as he did. Why was his body like this all of a sudden? Was he sick? Was this an aftereffect of resetting? The kid had always seemed cold, but was that because they were in the middle of Snowden? One hand went to his stomach as he began to feel sick, the other reaching up to his head, wiping away… sweat?

Why was he sweating?

It wasn’t hot. He was freezing. God, he was _freezing_ , he shouldn’t be sweating.

He pulled his hand away, looking at his fingers. They were… sticky. He felt lightheaded.

His eyes widened. The rising sense of panic filling him ceased a moment as he realized what was happening.

Sticky.

 

“...Oh.”

 

He ducked into a shortcut faster than he ever had in his life. 

He stumbled into the True Lab, the fridge nearby shaking. “W-Woah, god-!” He quickly regained his balance, feeling sick to his soul. He hadn't been that unsteady since he was first learning his magic. He took a deep breath, quickly running to the fridge he had gone to last time, nearly falling into the fridge as he lost his balance again. He opened it up, spying the syringe there, ready for the taking.

Determination.

He grabbed it quickly, hopping up onto the nearest stretcher. “Come on, come on…” He shrugged off his jacket, quickly pulling off his shirt and tossing it aside, leaving him bare boned. He shivered more, not really sure if it was from the lab or just how he had felt all night. He tugged the air in front of him, grabbing at nothing.

_Pop._

He winced as his weak soul pulsed in front of him, eyes widening. “What the hell…” He knew his own soul; it was mostly white, pulsing with a light blue aura, weak and pale. This thing in front of him didn’t look like his soul. No, this soul… it was mutated.

The soul was melting. Not only that, but it was… reddish. Pulsing with a red glow, dripping color that disappeared before it hit the ground. He thought back to the previous reset, his fears starting to be confirmed. “R-Red… It was red, before, it was-”

Pain stabbed his soul and he gasped, feeling it in his entire being. He watched as the soul shuddered, bursting a bright red before fading back to the way it had been. He shivered, eyes widening as the soul dripped more. He ran his hand over his head again, feeling it stick just for a second before coming loose. He was melting alongside his soul.

Fearful, Sans gripped his soul, shivering from the feeling. His body trembled from the touch. This all felt too familiar from last time, too recent. He knew what was coming up; He wasn’t looking forward to this next part.

He braced himself and stabbed the needle into his soul without hesitation, knowing from experience that it would hurt the same if he waited or not. He still gasped in pain and his entire body prickled and stung, even as he started to inject the determination. “G-gg…” He hated this. He hated doing this. His soul wanted to reject the determination, it didn’t like this, he wanted to stop this.

His body stung, like iced needles were piercing his bones. Everywhere was cold. Coldness was just all he was, he felt nothing but empty, dark coldness. He felt the blackness closing in, horror gripping him. His hold on his soul tightened. It only made it worse. He wanted to stop, this hell needed to end, no more! His hand shook. No more no more no-

He emptied it all into his soul, shoulders slumping as warmth suddenly filled his bones, creeping into every part of his body and soul. He shuddered and removed the syringe, feeling no pain now as his soul pulsed with the drug. The stinging turned to a gentle tingle on his bones. He felt… a thousand times better. He felt light. Easy. He sighed in relief, relaxing as he watched his soul. 

The red heart pulsed, bruised slightly darker where the needle had pierced. It looked good as new, otherwise. No sign of nearly melting just moments ago. It actually looked better than it usually did. More solid. Sans gently ran a finger over the surface, shivering softly; right as rain. Gently, he pushed the soul back into his chest.

… So. 

The determination carried over. Resets didn’t matter. He… He was still full of it. Monsters weren't supposed to retain it. Monster souls, those were comprised of magic, every 3rd grader knew that. As most scientists knew, human souls were made up of determination, much more solid than magic was. Monsters… they melted when they took DT, as Alphys had discovered. DT, that was too solid… So… That meant…

Sans held his head in his hands, a wide grin spreading across his face. “H-Heh. Wow. I’m… I’m still dyin’.” 

He just sat awhile in silence. 

He allowed himself a small laugh as he felt tears on his face.

“‘Least I’m not cold anymore.”

 

*~*~*~

 

Sans awoke with a start. 

The ceiling was tiled, and the air smelled like wet dog.

… He had fallen asleep in the lab. 

 

He sat up with a start, soul racing. “ _Pap_.” His eye flared with magic, red filling his vision - he would care about his magic later! The red didn’t matter, nothing else mattered. If the kid had come through already, that could mean tha-

He stumbled through his shortcut, his magic uneasy for an entirely different reason now. He looked around frantically. Ruin door. Closed, as always, and along the path...

There were footprints in the snow.

“A-Alright, Sans, no need t’panic.” He felt his grin shaking alongside his voice. “M...Maybe it was just a Snowdrake that got curious or somethin’...” He started to walk along, his footsteps falling beside the others. The ones that were much smaller and more even than a Snowdrake’s ever would be. 

He took a deep breath and kept walking, eyes forward. It was… it was explainable. He might not have the explanation, but there was one. One other than the kid. He didn’t want it to be the kid.

But as he walked, he knew it had all gone wrong.

The ice cream vendor was gone. That one Snowdrake wasn't practicing jokes on Ice Cap per usual. A quick glance showed the Snowman had melted away into nothingness, something that shouldn’t happen in a place as cold as this. The path to Snowdin was empty. Snowdin Town was too.

Sans felt his soul sink.

“C’mon kid…”

He was running. Sans never ran. His breath huffed out in front of him, cold and puffy. He was running.

He ducked into Grillby’s, but it was empty too. Not even Grillby was there. It was cold.

He didn't run anymore. 

He appeared in the snow, trees all around, wind howling around him. At his feet was a forgotten, dusty scarf, alone in the wind. 

“... P… Paps…”

Footprints led away from the scarf.

“... Kid…”

His face split into a crooked grin. He breathed out slowly, feeling the wind in his bones, the determination in his soul the only thing warming him. “H-Heh. I…” He bent down and picked up the scarf, rubbing his fingers against the familiar material. It had been his mother’s, once, way back in the day. It had been Papyrus’s after her. And now… 

 

… He could have stopped this. If he had just been awake, if he had… Last time, he couldn’t have known, he had put trust in the kid, and now… 

 

“... I thought it would hurt less the second time...” Judging from the tightness in his chest, he had thought wrong. 

 

He felt tears rise to his eyes. Alright. Papyrus was dead, again. That… that was something he knew with utter certainty. ‘Again’. This wasn’t the first time that this had happened, and if he just kept resetting each time, this would be the way it would always happen. Resetting wouldn’t be enough. He had to find another way.

But in the end, he had something, at least _something_ to cling to for hope. He could remember what happened, now. He knew what to expect. In a moment, he appeared, scarf in his hands and slippers cool against the tiles of the Judgement Hall. 

He pocketed the dusty scarf, eyes hard and black as he watched the end of the hall. 

All he had to do was wait.

They would come soon enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter out! I've suddenly found inspiration to work on this one, and this AU is actually so much fun, so I might finally get around to updating this one. I'll try to update more often. :) Thanks for reading, and I hope you continue to enjoy!
> 
> Also, if you didn't notice, the name of this AU is UnderTrait!


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